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SUGGESTIONS 

FOR 

LAUNDRY WORK 



BY 



MRS. MARY JOHNSON 



SUGGESTIONS 

FOR 

LAUNDRY WORK 



BY 



MRS. MARY JOHNSON 






Copyright 1917 

BY 

MRS. MARY JOHNSON 



•••.//■ ^ . 

©C1,.A455875 

MAR 10 1917 






Suggestions for Laundry Work, 



BY MRS. MARY JOHNSON. 



INTRODUCTION. 

I have been engaged in laundry work for fifteen (15) 
years, and during the past six (6) years I have been 
employed in the laundry departments of large dry goods 
houses. During this time I have had the opportunity 
to study and apply different methods of cleaning to all 
kinds of materials, and I have been asked frequently to 
give my receipts and to explain my methods by numer- 
ous patrons of the store and by friends. In order to 
explain more satisfactorily my methods, and to give the 
results of my own practical experience both to those 
beginning such work and also to the large number of 
women of moderate means who are obliged, in their own 
homes, to do part, at least, of their own work, I am 
publishing these hints and suggestions. 



TABLE LINEN. 

Each piece of linen, table-cloth, napkin, doily, must 
be inspected carefully for oily stains, each one of which, 
if present, must be rubbed out with soft soap and cold 



4 Suggestions for Laundry JVork 

water. If hot water is used the stains become fixed. 
After such stains are removed the pieces should be 
soaked in hot water and soft soap and boiled. If your 
table linen needs whitening, boil for twenty (20) min- 
utes with a tablespoonful of " bleach " added to boiler 
of cloth. In rinsing your cloths, get all the soap well 
off. To make the table linen look like new, add a tea- 
spoonful of Sugar of Lead to the rinsing water. If 
there are colored napkins among your linen, these must 
be washed quickly and separately as they are liable to 
fade and spoil your white linen if washed together. 
Never boil colored goods as boiling will fade or lighten 
the color. Do not blue colored articles. All white 
clothes are to be blued, all colored clothes rinsed in clear 
water. 

TO SHRINK NEW LINEN. 

Dip in hot water, into which a piece of alum the size 
of a walnut has been dissolved in. 



SHIRTS: WHITE AND COLORED. 

New white shirts should be soaked in cold water and 
borax, to remove any oil stains ; then washed in a hot 
suds like any ordinary white goods. First rub the wrist 
bands well, then the neck band. The arm holes of the 
shirt are usually discolored from coat dye, and it may 
be necessary to use a little *' bleach " to bring them back 



Suggestions for Laundry Work 5 

to color. If so soak that part of the shirt in boiling 
hot bleach. You may use a tablespoonful in the boiler 
for the other part of the shirt to keep it white. "Bleach" 
will never injure your clothes if used in way directed. 



UNDERWEAR. 

Fine underwear should be handled with care. Never 
rub it hard. Soak it in good soap suds and rub it gently. 
Look over the garment and find the soiled spots. Rub 
these between your hands. If there are stains, first soak 
the garment in cold water and then put it into hot suds, 
adding a little soda. If you use my " bleach " rinse thor- 
oughly before bluing. All ribbons should be removed 
from the underwear before washing and washed separ- 
ately. If muslins and lawns are washed in water strained 
from wheat or bran they need no soap nor starch. This 
water cleanses and stiffens the article washed in it. 
After washing rinse out in clear water, and use bluing 
water to suit. To make this water take one quart of 
bran to three quarts of water. Strain the water and 
let it stand for a time. 



HANDKERCHIEFS. 

Handkerchiefs that have been used for colds and con- 
tain phlegm should be soaked in water containing about 
one tablespoonful of borax. This will remove all traces 
of the phlegm in a short time. 



6 Suggestions for Laundry Work 

BLANKETS. 

Blankets should be washed in a soft soap. Use one 
tablespoonful of borax to every pint of soap. Put the 
blankets into a tub of lukewarm water to soak, and if 
there are any soiled spots, rub them clean before the 
rest of the blanket is washed. When washed clean rinse 
them in a nice soft soap suds, not too hot nor too cold 
as either would cause shrinking, and then wring- them 
out as dry as possible. They must be dryed quickly in 
the sun or heat. The time to wash blankets is in July 
or September. 

FLANNELS. 

To wash flannels so that they will be soft and nice 
instead of hard, skill is required on the part of the 
washer. All the oil of perspiration should be removed 
before any soap is applied to an article. To remove this 
oil, before using any soap, soak in water containing a 
little washing soda. Don't have the soda very strong. 
Wash in a lukewarm suds of soft soap. When washed, 
rinse out and dry quickly. Be sure that the flannels are 
perfectly dry before putting them away, as the damp- 
ness shrinks them. Never wash flannels in w^ater used 
for other washing, as the white flint of the cotton gets 
mixed with the flannel and spoils its appearance. 



BATHROBES. 

Bathrobes are washed in a warm suds and rinsed in a 



Suggestions for Laundry Work 7 

soapy water the same as flannels. Wring out well and 
dry quickly. 

COLORED CLOTHES. 

Colored clothes must be washed with care, particu- 
larly stockings. Stockings that are troublesome to 
clean may be washed by being stretched on a board and 
scrubbed with a hand brush. If the colors are not fast, 
rinse quickly and open by pulling them up on the hands 
until the toe is reached. Then pin them by the toe and 
side on the line. Woolen stockings should be dried on 
a wooden shape of the right size. This is made easily 
of old boards. 

Many bright flannels owe their brilliant colors to an 
acid compound of coal tar ; washed in soap or ammonia 
the alkali neutralizes the acids and the colors fade. 
Acetic acid used in the rinsing will restore the colors. 



CHINTZ. 

How to wash it so that no dampness will affect it. 
It will wear nice and stiff for any length of time. 

Take two pounds of rice and boil, strain, and add 
about two gallons of lukewarm water; pour the whole 
into a tub and wash your chintz in it. Rinse in a little 
of the rice water. The rice water will answer for both 
starch and soap and is much better, as there is nothing 
in the pure rice to spoil anything in the material. 

To set colors in any colored goods put a teaspoonful 



8 Suggestions for Laundry Work 

of acetic acid in rinsing water and rinse the materials 
well. Vinegar can be used also, but it contains coloring 
material. 

Laces must be washed with care; white lace can be 
washed in borax or ammonia water. Use but a little of 
either in a soft soap water and let the lace soak for 
about an hour. Do not rub. If there are any spots very- 
much soiled, you may rub them through the hand. Do 
not wring ; squeeze out in your hands and let the water 
run through your fingers. A little blue may be used 
in washing white lace. Cream lace must be dipped in 
coffee or tea water as deep as desired. White lace may 
be made yellow by using coffee or tea or saffron. To 
make yellow lace white use some bleach boiled; soak 
lace in bleach water for about five minutes and rinse 
quickly in fresh water. Wash out thoroughly all trace 
of the bleach. 

To remove rust spots from lace or any other white 
articles, the following is perfectly harmless and will 
remove such spots quickly : Dissolve a pinch of oxalic 
acid in two tablespoonfuls of boiling water, and soak 
the article for about three minutes or until the rust dis- 
appears. Rinse well in cold water. It will also whiten 
the goods, but to be effective all traces of the acid must 
be rinsed out thoroughly. 

In washing lace be sure to open all scallops. You 
may pin them down on a sheet to dry and all the edges 
must be straight. If you want fine lace stiff use a little 
gum arabic in your rinsing water. It also makes the 
lace look like new. Use about two ounces of the gum 



Suggestions for Laundry Work 9 

arabic powder to a pint of boiling water; cover it and 
let it stand till the next day, drain and have it free from 
dregs. Put in a bottle and cork until there is need to 
use it again. 

Never make lace very stiff. To look nice it must 
have a soft finish. Very little water starch will make 
lace very stiff. 

A teaspoonful of gum arabic added to any starch will 
improve clothes wonderfully, either white or colored. 

In case an iron is not handy fill a bottle full of hot 
water and cork tightly; roll the lace around it and 
when dry you will find the lace to be ironed perfectly. 
This can be done only with very narrow lace; or it 
depends upon the size of the bottle. 

Housekeepers should always have three kinds of acids 
in the laundry. One for removing stains, another for 
setting colors and the third for brightening colors. Ox- 
alic acid is for removing stains. Sugar of lead is for 
setting the colors. Acetic may be used also for setting 
and brightening colors. It will be found wise to test a 
small piece first before washing a whole garment. All 
blues are not made from the same kind of acids. Tartar 
acid will brighten colors; vinegar sometimes may take 
its place, but not always to the best advantage as it con- 
tains color matter. 

Lace curtains, etc., can be mended by taking a piece of 
an old curtain and dipping it in a little raw starch. Lay 
the piece on the place where you need the patch and 
put a hot iron over it. It will remain there until it gets 
wet or washed. 



10 Suggestions for Laundry Work 

Chamois gloves are washed in soap suds on the hands, 
just the same as kid gloves are cleaned. When washed 
rinse in clear tepid water. If ironed out damp it makes 
them nice and soft and gives them that new look. If 
they have black stripes on the back set the black with 
a little ox-gall before washing. Put your ox-gall in 
water and dip a piece of cloth or sponge in the water 
and wash off your stripes. After the color is set they 
will not run when washed again. 



FEATHERS. 

White feathers and how they are washed: White 
feathers should be washed in a suds made from soft 
soap, with a little pearl ash or bicarbonate of potash 
added to the water. Put the feathers into this suds and 
draw them through your fingers until the dirt comes 
out. When clean rinse them in a second water with a 
little bluing. Then draw them through the hands and 
shake them well. When the water is all out rub them 
through corn starch until dry. Shake them well and 
put them in the sun or some place where there is heat. 
Black feathers are cleaned in the same way, only add a 
little ox-gall to the water to set the color. Do not use 
bluing or bleach on black feathers. To curl draw them 
through the thumbs with a knife. 



FURS. 

White fur neck pieces or muffs : To clean white furs 



Suggestions for Laundry Work 



II 



first you must beat them with a stick and get all the 
loose hairs out; then shake well. Put some corn starch 
on a large paper or cloth and roll the furs in it. When 
the starch becomes dirty change it for some clean starch. 
Keep changing the starch until the furs are clean. Al- 
ways shake the dirty starch out before using clean 
starch. You will find that this will leave them perfectly 
white and just like new. Keep them away from the heat 
as heat is not good for them. 

WHITE KID SHOES. 

If you have shoe trees put them in your shoes; if 
not put something in them to keep them in shape. Make 
a soap suds of lukewarm water and wash with a cloth 
until all the dirt disappears, then rub off with clear soft 
water. Dry them by rubbing them with a clean soft 
cloth. If they are not white enough rub them over with 
a piece of chalk or magnesia. 

WHITE SPORT COATS. 

Sport coats should be washed in a soft soap suds. 
Look over the coat for soiled spots. Rub these spots 
through your hands until clean and rinse in a little soap 
suds. Wring out thoroughly, shake well and hang out 

to dry. 

Fluids of all kinds shorten labor and may be used 
without any danger if the laundress knows how to use 
them properly. Bleach can be used on white goods of 



12 Suggestions for Laundry Work 

all kinds. Use a half cupful to a boiler of clothes. This 
bleach must be rinsed out thoroughly. Bleach is ex- 
pensive if you want to buy it already made, but any 
housekeeper can make it herself for about twenty-five 
cents. It is used also for scrubbing tables, floors or as 
a disinfectant. Do not use where there is any paint, 
only use on white boards. To make bleach use two 
pounds of washing soda to one box of chloride of lime. 
Boil in a pail for twenty minutes, then let it stand and 
drain off the water. The thick lime that is left can be 
used for a disinfectant. This fluid made hot will remove 
mildew or any stains, and it will also whiten materials, 
but all traces of it must be rinsed out afterwards. Ink 
stains can be soaked first in hot bleach, which turns the 
ink to rust ; then put a pinch of oxalic acid on the rust 
stains and soak in boiling hot water until they dis- 
appear, and rinse well in two or three waters. Leave no 
trace of the acid in the goods. To remove ink stains 
from colored goods melt hot tallow and soak the goods 
in it, and when the tallow is washed the ink v/ill dis- 
appear. Old tallow candles are good for this purpose, 
and if you can pour the hot tallow through the ink spot 
the spots will disappear. 



KID GLOVES. 

Pour a cupful of benzine into a pan. No lights of 
any kind must be around, as benzine is explosive. Put 
the gloves on your hands and rub them one over the 
other in the same manner as when washing the hands. 



Suggestions for Laundry Work . 13 

Do this until the dirt disappears, and then rinse the 
gloves in some clean benzine and keep them on the 
hands until they become partly dry. When partly dry 
rub them with a clean cloth and hang in the open to dry 
thoroughly. 

BROADCLOTH. 

To remove stains from broadcloth take one-half (^) 
ounce of good pipe clay and mix with six drops of al- 
cohol. Make a paste of this and add six drops of spirits 
of turpentine. Mix these all together and lay on the 
soiled parts until dry and the stain will rub off. For 
sponging or cleaning black woolen cloth or cashmere 
a very good mixture is this : Mix one ounce of borax 
and one ounce of camphor with boiling water. When 
cool, add one quart of alcohol. Bottle and cork tightly. 
Shake well before sponging the garment with it. 



IRONING. 

When sprinkling clothes, separate the white from the 
colored. If you have white stiff shirts ring out the 
tails in a pail of water and turn the dampened tails up 
over the stift'ened bosoms of the shirt. Place the cuff's 
in the centre of the dampened shirt and have them opened 
straight out and roll tightly in the shirt. 

To sprinkle plain clothes use a small whisk broom 
which dip in water and sprinkle over the clothes. 

To dampen stiff* collars, ring out a large piece of 



14 Suggestions for Laundry Work 

white cloth in cold water and lay the collar straight on 
this cloth. They lay another damp cloth on top of the 
collar and roll up tightly. 

Roll the shirts and collars together in a clean sheet. 
Place them in a box and put something heavy upon 
them to send the moisture all the way through them. 
Let them lay dampened over night and they will iron 
better the next day. 



SILKS. 

All silks must be iron damp, and all pongees must be 
perfectly dry before ironing. If pongee is ironed wet 
it will leave white spots on the goods. Never iron colored 
goods wet as the colors are apt to run. 



ACIDS. 

For different colors you must use different acids. For 
black use ox-gall, one tablespoonful to a pail of water; 
for blue use acetic acid, one tablespoonful to a pail of 
water; for pink or green tartar, one tablespoonful to 
a pail of water. A teaspoonful of sugar of lead will 
also set blue colors. All these acids must be used in 
your rinsing water. All traces of these acids must be 
washed out in cold water afterwards. You can use also 
a teaspoonful of ammonia in this water. 

After the washing is finished look all over it. See 



Suggestions for Laundry Work 15 

if there are any buttons to be put on or fastened or any 
pieces to be mended. These should be laid aside and 
mended before putting them away if you want to abide 
by the old saying: ''A stitch in time saves nine." 

Some laundresses, in bluing, try to hide the dirt. To 
blue the clothes right they must be washed clean, rinsed 
thoroughly and then blued. 



SOFT SOAP AND HOW IT IS MADE. 

Take one quart of chipped soap to a pail of water. 
Boil together and add a half pound of washing soda. 
Boil well and let the soap dissolve ; then let it cool and 
use when needed. Take two pounds of yellow bar soap 
and two pounds of washing soda. Add ten quarts of 
water. Cut the soap into slices and boil with soda for 
an hour. Then strain it and put it away. This is a 
splendid soap for soaking clothes over night and also 
for washing. 

HOW TO MAKE HARD SOAP. 

Hard soap is made from soft soap. Use five pails of 
soft soap, two pails of salt, one pound of resin; boil 
slowly together for one hour and a half and then turn 
out in pans to harden. 



STARCH AND HOW TO MAKE IT. 

For stiff work the starch must be good and thick. 



i6 Suggestions for Laundry Work 

When the water is boiling add a little spearmint or bees- 
wax. Wet the starch in cold water, add a little blue 
and dissolve thoroughly; pour into the boiling water 
and stir quickly. For stiff cuffs add gum arabic to give 
body. To starch bosoms, cuffs and collars rub the thick 
starch into them well and put them flat on a board or a 
table. Have them nice and smooth with all the wrinkles 
out. When the starch is thoroughly rubbed in rub off 
with a clean soft cheesecloth, so that they are not smeary 
when they are dry. 

For colored work in black or brown darken the starch 
to suit the color with blue. Thick starch, after use, can 
be strained through a cheesecloth and thinned out. It 
can be used then for starching plain clothes. 



MERMAID BLUING 

also prepared by JNIary Johnson, and recommended for 
its wonderful whitening qualities. 

Guaranteed not to streak, discolor or injure the most 
delicate fabrics. 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 




014 182 317 6 ♦ 



